Birdsong Path
The Lighthouse Park Preservation Society was delighted to announce in 2022 that the long-awaited completion of a short accessible trail in the Park is now a reality! It is called Birdsong Path, to distinguish it from the entire Juniper Loop (on which it is situated). It has already been 'discovered ' by many with mobility issues - wheelchairs, walking frames and walking canes travel easily on the well compacted surface, and baby strollers are often seen too.
Juniper Loop 2013 – Volunteers restoring a degraded corner of the trail
Birdsong Path 2022 – Same corner 9 years after restoration!
Birdsong Path starts at the entrance to the parking lot, on the right, next to two paved parking spots. It is almost flat, with a surface of compacted fine rock dust. It is nearly 360m long and winds past the wetland into deeper forest. A sturdy bench is opposite the wetland, with a second bench at the end of the Path, both made in-house in the District's carpentry shop. A picnic table nestles in the forest to one side of the Path. It is wheelchair accessible, made of strong 100% plastic.
Along the Wetland
Approaching the End of the Trail
Picnic in the Forest
There is amazing natural variety along this short Path, from the skunk cabbages and ferns of the wetland to the towering cedars, firs, hemlocks and maples on either side. A large stand of red alder is the backdrop to the northeast as you enter the Path. Salal, salmonberry and sword ferns, patches of seasonal wild flowers, nurse logs and spooky aerial roots line the Path. Wildlife trees (dead but still standing) offer high perches for eagles and ravens, while woodpecker holes in dead trees are visible from the Path. The large holes are made by the pileated woodpecker, a large bird with a bright red crest, and the even horizontal rows of tiny holes are evidence of the red-breasted sapsucker (which pecks holes to get the sap running, licks up the sap with its long tongue, then eats the insects that stick in the sap!).
Sunny Bird Watching Spot at End of Birdsong Path
The Society thanks the West Vancouver Parks Department for doing the heavy work, the Rick Hansen Foundation for a grant for the car park paving and the first 330m of path and the West Vancouver Foundation, which, along with the Society, has paid for the extension of the Path, the furniture and towards the rustic fencing.
There are four interpretive signs along the Path, encouraging visitors to learn more about the trees, the forest ecosystem, the wetland and the bird life. The Society received a further grant from the West Vancouver Foundation in 2023 and that, along with generous donations, has helped to create a richer experience, particularly for those who cannot enjoy the rest of the Park.
Interpretive Signs along Birdsong Path
Wetland Sign from 2011
New Signs from 2024
